Romance and romantic medievalism Essay Example for Free

Romance and romantic medievalism Essay John Keats poem, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, presents a knight on his horse who meets a fairy lady but develops this clichi scenario into an exploration of the relationship between, the presumed male superiority and female innocence. It is a ballad that evokes medieval times. However, if one is expecting a stereotypical glorification of these, Keats rather has an interestingly critical approach to the archetypes of medieval romance and romantic medievalism. The identity of the titular female character is kept a mystery. We only know about her through the males interpretation of her. An essential point in this poem since it leads to the implicit meaning by the author. La Belle Sans Merci is a perfect example of how well-worn aspects as love such as sexual desire and unknown identity can be used to present a striking theme in a simple manner. These aspects are combined in a medieval set. The medieval setting is reinforced for the reader through the poems form. It is a ballad, which is full of fittingly old-fashioned diction and syntax. By his antiquated expression and his hypnotically monotone quadrametre, Keats achieves a mysterious and gloomy atmosphere with the first couple of stanzas of the poem. O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms, So haggard and so woebegone? (L. 5-6) To use Keatss own words, the mood is woebegone. This clearly reflects the knights emotions as the unknown individual, whose voice opens the poem, asks him about his problems. This is clear evidence that the whole poem is actually a dialogue between the knight and an unknown character possibly identifiable with the poet. The first two stanzas start with a question a clear indication of antiphonal or dialogic style being employed. O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms, Alone and palely loitering? (L. 1-2) This unknown character is the speaker in the first three whole stanzas, after which the knight begins to tell of his surreal experience with this fairy. At this point, one could argue that it starts to get interesting. The keywords throughout the next five stanzas are presumed control, power, desire and superiority. Obviously the knight is somehow intrigued by this fairy. In what way, remains ambiguous in keeping with Keatss poetic style. Nevertheless, no doubt is left when one examines the diction that the knight has a distinct sexual desire for her: She lookd at me as she did love, And made sweet moan. (L. 19-20) The knight interprets her sweet moan as sexual and romantic interest even though he has no reason whatsoever to believe that the fairy is essentially interested: And sure in language strange she said I love thee true! (L. 27-28) It is rather his own presumption that makes him imagine this. Thus a still more surreal dream scenario arises within an already surreal world of fairies etc. This way of thinking leads the knight into a form of blind obsession. It is this ecstasy that leads him to his misery. From stanza five where he makes a garland and bracelets for the fairy until stanza eight where she takes him to her elfin grot, he presents himself is in charge of virtually everything. I set her on my pacing steed, (L. 21) She found me roots of relish sweet (L. 25) These are clear examples that indicate that either the knight acts upon the fairy or the fairy acts for him in keeping with conservative sexual roles. It can be assumed that this situation suits him since he nothing else saw all day long. The knight does not hesitate to convey his emotions nor is he the mysterious part in this poem. But loss of control appears in stanza eight when the knight enters onto the fairys territory. Certainly he goes to her home and he may go further than that: She took me to her elfin grot, And there she wept and sighd full sore, (L. 29-30) The subject of the sentences changes; now it is the fairy that acts and the knight becomes a passive character in the poem. This should be considered as the moment when the knights misery commences. Another, yet stronger example of this is found in the next stanza, And there she lulled me asleep, (L. 33). This line is attention-grabbing since it is not only the start of the knights misery, but can also be seen in the context of the male losing out in the battle between sexes. Suddenly the feminine character gets the upper hand in a poem set in the middle ages and written at the beginning of the 19th century. The clichi -like knight on pacing steed strong, handsome and should win over every lady that he desires. Instead he is utterly unmanned by the extremely sexy feminine fantasy character, whose identity remains a mystery throughout the poem, while his psyche is bared. The mysterious identity of the fairy and the ambiguity as to whether she did anything at all to the knight other than leave him is central to Keats message. If we knew more about her, it would no longer be a mystery to the reader whether she did entrance him or whether he has just fantasized all those Pale warriors, Death pale were they all; They cried La Belle dame sans Merci, Hath thee in thrall! Assuming the fairy was human, she could most probably speak and not only make sweet moan. Just one statement from the fairy could lead to a clarification of the real causes of knights apparently miserable situation and that would kill the point of the poem. In conclusion, Keats succeeds in revitalizing the medieval ballad form and romance themes by inverting their clichi s. He thereby succeeds to a high degree in questioning male assumptions of sexual dominance and the reader is left with a lot to think about after reading the poem.